Hi Sandy,

I don't have any global answers either.  However, I do believe part of
the solution is the capacity of the field to mediate creative
educational and public space. For example, at the level of direct policy
application, I believe the conundrums of which Alisa'a policy report
speaks as cogently points to the dilemmas the field faces as anything
that I've come across.

What I do think needs more attention is for the field leadership and
agencies to provide an alternative vision of adult literacy education,
accompanied by the field's own research on its own terms, best practices
as articulated on its own terms, curriculum focus on its own terms, and
assessment modalities on its own terms.  Not that there's unanimity on
all this even in the household of literacy itself, but let the
differences be among those who speak within the house.

One approach then is to take on a more minimalist posture with regards
to compliance with federal mandates.  That is, do what has to be done
and draw on whatever it is of value from the USDOE, but do not let the
government define the universe of what we do.  This means identifying
avenues where alternative visions can be articulated, where substantive
work emerging from them being housed in locations of significant
visibility (one thinks of NALD in Canada) and our core agencies (our
literacy resource centers, bureaus of adult ed, national and regional
adult literacy organizations) spend quality energy in building up the
field's work, however variously defined on its own terms.  And, even
where appropriate, to directly challenge governmental policies that the
field views as inappropriate from those venues.

Among other things, this would require the field not to look to the
federal government as the sole prime benefactor of their work, but
rather, one of the nodes of support (and a large one), but not so large
that its value system color, however subtly so, everything of
significance about adult literacy education.

This is obviously, highly incomplete, and I'm sure I can't answer many
of the questions or criticisms that folks may have of this viewpoint.
Still, I think there's something there in terms of the field adopting a
much more strategically-focused bi-cultural focus and take on as much
control as possible in defining the field's work and value from its own
varied premises.

George Demetrion